Good Morning! Here’s what happened in the world of sports on Tuesday, June 18.

WILLIE MAYS

It saddens me to write that Giants legend Willie Mays passed away last night at the age of 93. One of the greatest baseball players of all-time, Mays was a two-time MVP, 24-time all-star, and 12-time Gold Glove winner. But he wasn’t just a great player– the “Say Hey Kid” was known as one of the most exciting ballplayers to watch, one of the rare five-tool ballplayers who could hit, hit for power, run, throw, and field with the best of them. As Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson once said about Mays, “You used to think that if the score was 5-0, he’d hit a five-run homer.’’

Read the statement from MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred here, or learn more about Mays and his exceptional life here. 

NHL

You wanted drama? The Stanley Cup delivered! An incredible game five in Florida ended with a 5-3 Edmonton Oilers win. Here’s how it happened:

• The Oilers started things off with a short-handed goal, holding a 1-0 lead as the first period ended. Their motto going into the game was “drag them back to Alberta” and Edmonton’s play to begin the game exemplified that message.

• Things got crazy in the second period. Edmonton scored two goals to take a 3-0 lead, and it looked they were going to cruise. But the Panthers answered back quickly, cutting the lead to 3-1. Then, the greatest player on the planet did something ridiculous (check out the play of the day) to restore the three-goal lead. Before you could blink, however, Florida answered again. Suddenly, with the score 4-2, the Panthers took it up a notch, controlling every aspect of the hockey game.

• We all caught our breath during intermission, but the game was far from over. The Panthers scored on a beautiful set-up from Matthew Tkachuk, cutting the lead to 4-3. The crowd was rocking, and yet… the comeback stopped there. Despite an onslaught of shots and pressure, the Panthers couldn’t tie it up. An empty-net goal from Connor McDavid put the game out of reach.

Phew, that was a lot. The best part? We get to keep watching. The Stanley Cup continues with game six in Edmonton on Friday.

MLB

A whole lot of action last night in the big leagues. Don’t worry, I’ve got all the highlights here:

• After losing in 12 innings the night before, Miami Marlins pinch-hitter Vidal Bruján laced a walk-off RBI single in the 10th inning to take revenge on the St. Louis Cardinals, winning the ballgame 9-8.

• With the game tied in the 9th, Phillies outfielder Nick Castellanos hit a walk-off of his own, just past the outstretched glove of San Diego Padres right fielder Fernando Tatis Jr. The Phillies won 4-3.

• Down five runs in the ninth inning against the Rockies, the Los Angeles Dodgers scored a whopping seven runs, coming back to win the game 11-9. Along the way, Shohei Ohtani hit the longest home run of the season.

• And finally, the walk-off magic concluded in Minnesota, as Twins slugger Carlos Santana lined a two-out single to beat the Rays 7-6.

Got all that? Now we head to New York.

• The Yankees beat their division rival Baltimore Orioles 4-2, and rookie first baseman Ben Rice had the happiest first hit I’ve ever seen. Just look at that smile from the rookie!

• Somehow, someway, the New York Mets are winners of seven games in a row. Apparently the key to success is a giant purple burger mascot throwing out the first pitch. The Grimace streak might be the strangest thing in sports.

SOCCER

Just two games in the Euros today, but they were quite entertaining.

• Georgia scored their first ever goal in the European championships, but it was not enough to overcome three goals by Turkey. The highlights from this game are insane, including this show-stopping strike. If you have time today, I recommend watching the full game recap.

• Ronaldo and Portugal were heavy favorites against Czechia, but they’ll feel lucky to escape with a victory. Struggling to take capitalize on chances all game, the Portuguese squad won 2-1, thanks to a late goal in stoppage time from 21-year old substitute Francisco Coneição.

WNBA

Rookie Cameron Brink was taken out of the game last night with a knee injury. The Los Angeles Sparks center is one of the rising stars in the women’s game, and was picked to represent Team USA at the Olympics in the 3×3 basketball event. Hoping for good news on this one.

The Connecticut Sun became just the 7th team in WNBA history to win 13 of their first 14 games. Check your local sportsbook, because each of the previous teams to accomplish this feat went on to win the championship

NCAA BASEBALL

Florida State survived another day, taking down ACC rival North Carolina by a score of 9-5. There was just one game played today due to inclement weather, setting the stage for an action-packed Wednesday in Omaha.

NOTEWORTHY NEWS

At the US Olympic trials, Regan Smith broke the world record in the 100-meter backstroke. Smith will be a favorite heading to Paris, where she and the rest of her USA teammates will be wearing these Ralph Lauren outfits.

Tennis great Andy Murray was victorious in his 1000th career match. Congrats to Sir Andy, who plans to retire at some point this summer.

Major League Baseball announced that the automatic balls and strikes system (ABS) will be coming to the highest level of the minor leagues in the coming weeks. Similar to the Hawkeye system in tennis, we’re one step closer to pro baseball players challenging the calls of the home plate umpire.

The celebration continues for the NBA champion Boston Celtics. In case you missed it, Scott Van Pelt summarizes their season beautifully.

PLAY OF THE DAY

Sometimes it’s tough to pick just one play of the day. Today was impossible. Luckily I make the rules for this thing, so here are the top plays of the day.

Two of the best in the world at what they do. Wow.

TODAY’S BIG GAMES (all times Eastern)

SOCCER: Croatia vs Albania, 9 AM on Fubo; Germany vs Hungary at Noon and Scotland vs Switzerland at 3 PM on Fox

MLB: Padres @ Philles at 1:05 PM; Yankees @ Orioles, 7:05 PM

-After starting the year on the injured list, Gerrit Cole is ready to take the mound for his season debut. Arguably the best pitcher in baseball, the Yankees will be thrilled to have their ace back on the mound in this divisional rivalry. Not a fan of the Yankees? Understandable. Check out Padres knuckleballer Matt Waldron, who takes on the Phillies and potential all-star starter Ranger Suarez.

NCAA Baseball: Florida vs Kentucky at 11 AM, Tennessee vs Florida State at 2 PM, and Texas A&M vs UF or UK at 7 PM on ESPN

-A busy day in Omaha, Nebraska as the College World Series continues. It’s going to be especially tough on the winner of the Florida/Kentucky game. After the rainout yesterday, they’ll have to win two games in a day, just for a chance to win another game tomorrow.

We close today with one of the greatest plays of all time, courtesy of Wille Mays.

Have a great Wednesday.